A few weeks ago I did a guest post over at Skip to My Lou. Since it’s officially Teacher Appreciation week, I thought it would be fun to publish it here on Make it Do just for you.

Teacher Appreciation is the perfect chance to say “Thank You!” to our favorite teachers, librarians, and school staff.

I owe my kid’s teachers so much. They spend hours each day with them, care about them, and give them essential tools to help them succeed in life.

Every year when Teacher Appreciation rolls around I look for a gift that shows how much that means to me. I know it’s not the expense of the gift that matters, but the thoughtfulness.

A small cake, cupcake or mini bundt cake is a perfect gift. Cake is the way to my heart after all. For Teacher Appreciation I love mini bundt cakes because the recipe is easy enough for the kids to help… always a bonus. It’s a treat that seems special and fun. Here’s how to make them:

Chocolate Bundt Cake

Mix ingredients together, adding the chocolate chips last. Pour into greased mini bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 18 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Recipe will make 12 mini bundt cakes. Cool completely before frosting. Place frosting in a pastry bag using a medium smooth tip (mine was a Wilton tip #12) and pipe back and forth in loops like shown:

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea! I am making them for all of the teachers at our school. I made a practice batch today and my chocolate chips stuck to the pan, leaving holes in my cakes. I turned the cakes out shortly after cutting the bumps off on the first batch and then let them completely cool on the second batch. The second batch was worse, but the first still had some casualties. Any ideas? Thanks for your help.

Heidi

P.S. Found clearance Easter cupcake boxes…$0.59 for three…perfect! Going back for flowers and ribbon tomorrow…because it’s not too much for me, either!

Heidi, I’m not sure how I missed your question! If it’s not too late, here’s an answer. I had a few of those that stuck but not many. But if a lot are sticking, I would try mixing the chocolate chips in the dry cake mix and pudding mix before adding the wet ingredients. I’ve used that method before to keep blueberries from sinking. Coating them in the dry ingredients seems to help them “float” in the batter. The other thing to try using in Pam for Baking…. I know I said it before.. but I LOVE it for bundt cakes. Everything just seems to come right out of the pan whenever I use it. If you don’t have Pam for Baking you can also grease the pan and dust it with flour. That’s a long answer, but I hope it helps. cheers, Calli

I love the website! makes me feel like I’m back home. I love the care you take to make each of the items special and unique. You have some really cute ideas for decorating that make each of your baked items seem really special. Thanks for the inspiration!